The Lacs' 'Outlaw' Ties Their Career-Best Rank On Top Country Albums

The Lacs, the country/rap duo of Brian “Roger” King and Clay “Uncle Snap” Sharpe, tie their best rank on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, as Outlaw in Me (BackRoad/Average Joes) shoots in at No. 3. The set bows with 14,000 sold in the week ending May 31, according to Nielsen Music. The pair first started at No. 3 with Keep It Redneck (Sept. 7, 2013), which also opened with 14,000. (It was actually a slightly higher amount than its new set, before that figure is rounded off.)

The blithe twosome formed in 2002 (The Lacs is short for “loud-ass crackers”), and Outlaw in Me is its third album for BackRoad, a subsidiary of Average Joes that is co-owned by fellow country-rapper Colt Ford. While The Lacs have yet to hit the Country Airplay chart, the new set includes two tracks with acts who have: “Tonight on Repeat” features Josh Thompson, who has scored seven Country Airplay entries, and “Back to Georgia” features Craig Campbell (five).

Also on Top Country Albums, veteran John Anderson makes his first appearance since 2009, as Goldmine (Bayou Boys) debuts at No. 36 (1,000 sold). He last ranked as high on the chart with 2007’s Easy Money, which also began (and peaked) at No. 36. The Florida-born singer-songwriter collects his 22nd charted title on Top Country Albums, having notched his first in 1980; four have hit the top 10, most recently 1992’s Seminole Wind. That set reignited his prominence at country radio, as its “Straight Tequila Night” became his first Hot Country Songs No. 1 since 1983 and kicked off a run of seven top 10 singles in a three-year span.

“Down through the years, we’ve recorded the same way: with a great group of songs and our friends in the studio,” Anderson recently told Billboard. “Half my band played on this record at times. The main thing is knowing that you have good material and enjoying the process of making the recording.”

On Hot Country Songs, as Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” (Capitol Nashville) reigns for a sixth week, Jake Owen’s “Real Life” (RCA Nashville) debuts at a No. 27, his best start among 19 career entries. The summery, alt-rock-influenced single bounds onto Country Digital Songs at No. 6 with 29,000 downloads sold. Also new on Hot Country Songs:Miranda Lambert’s “Roots and Wings” (RCA Nashville) launches at No. 32, powered by its No. 7 arrival on Country Digital Songs (27,000).